


Brotherhood

by Fawkespryde



Series: Grounds for Murder (Feast your eyes) [3]
Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF, Sideshow - Fandom
Genre: It's more often than you think, Shayne is the best boy?, darksideshow, so questionable things is a given, this takes place in the Feast Your Eyes au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-10
Updated: 2019-02-10
Packaged: 2019-10-25 23:15:28
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,446
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17734517
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fawkespryde/pseuds/Fawkespryde
Summary: Everyone knows Shayne, regardless if your associated with Sideshow or not. The man makes no farce about his presence. He's driven and determined, proving time and time again that he has the influence and manpower to back up his claims. But where did Shayne come from?Some say, he was born with a silver spoon in his mouth. The ability to have anything he wants with his money and charm. But there's another rumour.. One that many have been trying to smother for years. A rumour about a boy, who looked up into the sky from the dirty alley he was raised in and swore that he would be something.





	Brotherhood

***

 

Shayne grew up in the slums. In the dark corners and alleyways that most people tended to steer clear of during the day just as much as the night. He remembered running around with the rest of the street rats, hooting and hollering without a care in the world. They had very little given to them in life so they lived with what they had instead, each other. Together they turned the dark twists and turns of the backstreets into their personal playground. There wasn't a single fence they hadn’t hopped, a single roof the hadn't climbed, a single street they hadn’t memorized brick by brick. 

 

They were too young to be considered adults, but too old to be considered for adoption. In a world where they were not acknowledged and not wanted, Shayne and the rest of them made their own life. They worked with what they had and what they lacked in strength, they more than made up for in cleverness and numbers. At first it started off small. Little things like breaking into the local grocery store right after they closed and locked up. Shayne and two others crawled in from the vents and took what they needed to feed the rest of the group.

 

As they got older, they got more organized and more clever. Food pushed the starvation back one more day but it did little to ease the scrapes and bruises and sickness that their hard life forced on them. They needed medicine. They needed better equipment. They needed money. Shayne was the first to come to this conclusion and was practically kicking himself as he recalled them being children, stealing from pedestrians and burning the money inside as a way of flipping the bird at the System. 

 

They had been so young. They had been so reckless. If he could go back, he would have changed several things. He would have been smart enough to make the choices the others couldn't. Several time they had been left with more questions than answers, knowing the inner workings of a door lock but not understanding the concept of why things needed to be locked.

 

Hindsight was 20-20 though. Shayne had learned the hard way from that and decided then and there that he would be smart enough to take care of the rest of his family. Many of them were the same age but most tended to look up to him in times of trial. So when he changed pace and decided on a different course of action, all of them following along, not really understanding but not willing to abandon him.

 

***

 

At thirteen, Shayne had quite a large group of friends and they had cleared out an old section of abandoned land and claimed it as their own. It had been in construction for three years until the company ran out of money so the lot was filled with a lot of half built infrastructure and surrounded by a chain link fence. It was mess and building within it had come with its challenges but in the end it had been worth it. They had found a place that they felt safe, away from the world and the constant stink eye from people for dressing filthy.

 

It seemed for the longest time that no one could stop them. They got into trouble with the law a few times but they were faster and knew the streets better than the cops. It doesn’t take long to lose people in uniform when you can jump from one rooftop to the other one without so much as breaking a sweat. Because of this, the law enforcement had fallen gracelessly into the flow of giving a half hearted chase while yelling some obscenities before having to give up. Shayne and the others would howl into the sky as they effortlessly ducked between broken boards and climbed fences without breaking their speed. 

 

The first time they ended up on the news, they referred to Shayne and the rest as ‘Wild Childen’. Shayne at the time had ducked into a library and was stripping the electric detectors off the books when he saw one of the t.v’s tuned into the news show a familiar form in a mid-air leap. It was him from several weeks ago, a self satisfying smirk on his face and backpack full of stolen canned foods. Even with the volume muted, he could tell that whatever they were saying about him couldn't possibly be good. Especially when the image shifted to a topographical view of the city with the title ‘Wild child sightings activity’. For the first time in his lifetime, he felt ice in his veins and a heavy weight in his throats that he couldn't swallow away. 

 

They were supposed to be nothing to the rest of the world, unrecognizable, untouchable. But from the looks of the picture, not only did they know of them but they had been watching him personally for a long time. At that thought, Shayne felt very conscious of being exposed and out in the open. It felt like everyone's eyes were on him and suddenly he didn't feel as driven to stealing the list of books he had on hand. He set down the last two novels he had been deciding between taking and turned, almost bumping into one of the librarians in his rush to get around the bookshelf. He made a half ass excuse about needing the washroom and without waiting for her response, ducked into one of the stalls the first chance he got.

 

His heart was beating faster and holding out his hands in front of him showed just how bad he was shaking. It took several deep breaths to calm him down enough to leave the stall. Shayne pressed his hands to the counter and leaned forward to get a better look at himself. Yes, he was still dirty but under all those layers of filth were sharp blue eyes that met his gaze back unabashingly. He stared back and felt his frown deepen.

 

Now was not the time to panic. Now was not the time to let his bad thoughts get the better of him. He had to be stronger, faster, more clever. He had to come up with a plan. He had to protect his family and he had to be the one to do something about the System that was the cause of their rotten life to begin with.

 

With that, he gave himself a final self asserting nod and stepped back out into the library. Everyone looked up to him to lead them and protect them. It was time to go back and assume that role again. There was no way he was going to go quietly into the night because the media saw him and his family as a bunch of ‘wild children’.

 

***

 

It was Shayne’s intuitiveness that helped him realize something was wrong when he hadn't seen a few of his friends for days. They had gone out for a quick snack run but had gone missing without a trace. Usually going missing for a while wasn't an issue since most of them could take care of themselves but this was different. The two that had disappeared were new strays that they had picked up in the recent months. It was unusual to say the least.

 

They came back home that evening around midnight, both acting as though nothing were wrong with them going off the grid for days. That wouldn't be a problem any other day but Shayne had a feeling. He had a itch in the back of his mind that told him something was very much off about the situation. He didn’t say anything out loud but that feeling never left him. 

 

Three days later proved that his intuition correct when numerous police officers rolled up onto the abandoned lot and began rounding up everyone they came across. He could remember running into one of the bunk areas with a friend, knowing that the only exit from within the confines of the broken infrastructure was a crack in the wall. He moved the pallet covering it and was shimmying in when the hole was covered behind him again. They didn’t come with him. Shayne tried to argue with him, convince him that what his friend was doing was foolish but there was no changing his mind.

 

There was the stomping of boots on concrete and he was shushed, told to stay quiet and hide. His friend, the first friend he had ever made in this cold hard world took the heat off of Shayne and was arrested in his stead. When they asked if he was the Shayne, he quipped and bit back, leaving no room for doubt. The cops seemed to find some sort of sick enjoyment with how they roughly handled him, patting him down and shoved something into his pocket before removing it away with theatric awe on their faces.

 

Shayne watched and winced at the blatant abuse. The two cops carried his friend away by the crook of his arms, passing two very familiar figures in the entry. He had to bite back the enraged sound forming in his throat at the sight of the two strays wearing flak jackets and badges. He had been so foolish. And because of this, his family had paid dearly for it. 

 

He crawled out the other side of the concrete wall and gently coaxed his weight behind two steel barrels. Shayne lowered the hood of his jacket and took a deep breath. He could feel the adrenaline coursing through his veins, his heart pounding heavily in his head, his nerves screaming to ‘run run RUN’.. and so he did.

 

Once the nearby patrolling officer was turned to face the other way, he took off like a bullet. He ran without looking back once and only slowed up when he was sure he was safe. Shayne glanced around at a nearby street sign that showed he had run almost 20 miles away from where he had started. His legs had only begun to cramp up once he acknowledged the mileage and how tired he was, the adrenaline wearing off.

 

***

 

The first real clash with another gang happened two years later once Shayne began establishing more ground for his family. Seventeen years old but he had a sizable group of friends that could be considered an organized gang if compared to other criminal organizations. They had spread from just living in one or two abandoned lots to a two block radius that they had tagged and claimed, not giving other gangs the opportunity to move in. Most of them didn't want anything to do with them anyways, always calling them “adrenaline addicts” because of the stunts they pulled in public.

 

Shayne had decided on the first big push for their influence to happen in the middle of the intersection where they planned on making a big demonstration of their numbers by forcing another gang out into the open. They called themselves the Highrollers and had been a frequent pest for Shayne and the rest of his group. They had tried to talk to the other group and work out an arrangement that best fit the both of them in their shared territory but it was always met with a dismissive gesture and a sardonic laugh.

 

The Wild Children didn’t appreciate that blatant disrespect. They hated being looked down upon and treated with an intolerance like a younger sibling that didn’t deserve any attention. Shayne had to keep many of the others calm in the face of such rudeness. Acting upset would only prove them wrong. They had to be smarter, be patient, their time will come. It always does.

 

And sure enough it had. Shayne had caught wind of the Highrollers plans to hit a nearby bank deposit truck and decided that if they ever planned on being taken seriously, this was the time to show it. They sent in a anonymous tip to the police about the job and made a move against the gang when their entire operation was in motion.

 

They waited till the various vehicles were stuck at the red light and then came out of every street and back alley, swarming them faster than they could react. Shayne and his friends had taken the forethought to jimmy together a tow bridle and had attached their trucks to a line of parked cars that were nearby. They served as the perfect weight and slamming on the brakes proved to be ineffective for the members of the Highrollers.

 

Several of them got out of their cars to try and ditch and run but instead were met by sirens as police cruisers came around the corner. The Wild Children made enough room for them to come through but kept an eye on their various charges, ensuring that not a single member got away without punishment. 

 

“Glad to see you boys in blue finally showed up.” Shayne adjusted the lower face mask he was wearing and gave a wave to the cops as their cars came screeching to a halt in the intersection. A few began to draw their weapons and point them at him but Shayne looked upon them without fear. He wasn’t afraid, far from it actually. It was a powerful feeling of being untouchable that could only have come from the spike of adrenaline.

 

“Names Shayne, I’m the leader of the Wild Children.” He gestured with a thumb to indicate to the people with the casino dice tattooed on various parts of their bodies. The main leader who refused to ever take Shayne seriously was still seated in his truck, hands clenching the steering wheel tightly. He had a tattoo of the four houses of cards trailing down the side of his neck that really made him recognizable. Shayne stepped over to the car and looked down at the man within, a devious look in his eyes at the fear he got in response. 

 

“Maybe next time, you’ll take us Wild Children a bit more seriously, eh?” He whispered to the other gang leader before turning back to the police. Raising his voice a bit, he patted the top of the car affectionately. “Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the leader of the Highrollers.”

 

At that, many of them lowered their guns and began making motions to arrest the Highrollers. It seemed that even the cops had become aware of their nature and for good reason too. They were an uncontrollable quantity of reckless teens but they weren’t senseless violent like the rest of the gangs in the city. They just wanted to run free with no attachments to the world around them and it looks like the police finally realized that the Wild Children were the least of their problems.

 

Shayne stood on the top of the armoured truck and rose his fist into the air. “Wild Children!” He grinned from behind the mask at the sight of the others returning the gesture back to him. The police watched but didn’t make any movements to stop them. They simply watched alongside the crowd they had drawn from their sirens. Some people were even recording the whole thing with expressions varying from confusion to amusement. Overall, not one person looked upset to see so many people being arrested on the spot.

 

Shayne held his hand up for a bit longer before dropping it and clapping once. He glanced about the intersection, mentally tallying the number of Children he had brought with him and made sure they were all accounted for. As he glanced about, he saw a familiar person staring back at him. They were older, much like him but it’s obvious that the circumstances that had meet under before had been staged the longer he looked at them. The Stray wasn’t so gaunt looking, their skin was the healthiest it had ever been. The only thing that remained from those past two years were the eyes. They were downcast and sad, almost like they were guilty for what they had done to his family. He doubted it though.

 

With a subtle shake of his head, Shayne lowered himself onto one knee and tilted his head back to let out a deep howl into the air like a wild animal. He hopped off the top of the truck and landed in a crouch on the concrete and continued to make noise, riling up the rest of his group as he did so. The rest of the Wild Children joined in with the howling and their energy seemed to bounce off each other as they laughed and ran around, hopping railings and hooting and hollering. As the last of the Highrollers were thrown into the back of various police cruisers, 

 

Shayne made the call to leave with a subtle change of tone and they shifted their movements and directions like a school of fish in the ocean. They fell into one long line of people that followed a preplanned path they had decided on ahead of time. Over the street railing, down the stairwell, into the subway station and into the car, forcing the door to remain open until everyone was inside.

 

The door made one last insistent dinging noise as Shayne finally let it slide shut. He passed by all the assembled members of his group and counted them all, giving props to some and reassuring smiles to others. They were all starting to come off that mixed high from seeing their rivals get what they deserved and it showed in their faces. Shayne could see that despite their tiredness, they were grinning and talking animatedly about the events that had transpired about the day.

 

They changed out of their masks while they rode the subway and only once Shayne was sure that they were safe, did they change lines and travel back to their territory. The Wild Children made it back home without any incidents and once inside, crashed for the rest of the day. They had worked hard and earned their rest.

 

Shayne stayed up and kept watch over the group, proudness seeping from every pore at the sight of his family safe and sound. He sat on the worn down couch, tapping his coffee cup on the side of his leg as he was deep in thought. There was a soft knock on the door that drew his attention away from the group sleeping in the middle of the living room and Shayne rose a brow in its direction. It wasn’t a familiar knock and no one had come inside. He wondered if it was the neighbours again and sat up, draining the last of the cold coffee from the cup. After setting the cup down on a nearby table, he approached the door and looked through the peephole.

 

There was no one on the other side that he could see and that fact worried Shayne quite a bit. He retrieved the knife from within his boot and held it behind his back as he opened the door. There was no one on the other side and looking back and forth didn’t reveal anyone hiding in the hallway. Assuming it was prank, he was about to close the door again when he heard a noise. A beep.

 

Shayne looked down to see a small celular device sitting innocently on the floor. The screen lit up as it beeped again before going dark once more. He hesitated for a moment before taking a deep breath and just going for it. There was no reward without risk. The phone didn't have any defining features that showed it belonged to someone previously and he accessed the home screen without needing a password or code at all. Whoever left this, wanting him to be able to get access to whatever is inside.

 

Beep.

 

The device made another noise to indicate that another message had been received and Shayne almost dropped it, bouncing it between his hands before managing to catch it again. He had taken a few phones when he was younger so he had a basic understanding of their use but never had a reason for taking them aside from being nosey and amusing himself by browsing their internet history. He was curious as to who thought to just leave one out for him to find. Was someone trying to communicate with him. He opened up the messenger app and received an answer to his question at the sight of three texts.

 

“Hello Shayne.”

 

“It’s a pleasure to finally meet you.”

 

“My name is Criken.”

 

***

**Author's Note:**

> During my hiatus, I worked on this because I had a clear visual in my head for how i pictured Shayne in the Fye au. Him and the rest of his group are the driving force behind Sideshow.


End file.
